'You sure know how to make a guy feel at home,' Rahm Emanuel said in celebration. |
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“Only the opportunity to help President Obama as his chief of staff could have pried me away from here, and only the opportunity to lead this city could have pried me away from the president’s side,” Emanuel had said when he officially announced his candidacy here in November. “The choices we make in the next few years will define Chicago’s future for generations. They will determine whether we remain a world-class city — or fall back.”

Those closest to him believe Emanuel has the potential to make those decisions, and in turn, make the city great.

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Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), who has known Emanuel since college and refers to him in conversation as “Rahm,” was one of the first people, let alone lawmakers, in attendance at the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Union Local 130 Hall on Tuesday night. Schakowsky spoke of the serious budgetary challenges facing the city, but also Emanuel’s serious credentials to face them.

She pointed to his time in Congress and his ability to work with both Democrats and Republicans on legislation. And she talked about his time serving two presidents, Obama and Bill Clinton, under two “very different economic situations.”

“Our slogan here is ‘The City that Works.’ He will be the kind of mayor who can create jobs here by recruiting businesses to Chicago. His high profile will help in that, his myriad of contacts around the country,” Schakowsky told POLITICO. “Chicago and Illinois got pretty hard-hit by unemployment and foreclosure problems. What we’ll see is Rahm just getting down to business. What you’ll see is somebody who’s just a hard worker tackling these problems.

“He may have colorful language now and then … but it’s very clear to me he’s best equipped to take on these major challenges.”

Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), who took Emanuel’s seat in Illinois’ Fifth District when the mayor-elect left Congress to serve as Obama’s chief of staff, spoke of his predecessor of being “policy-wonk” enough and “tough as nails” — a combination he believes best suits Emanuel for the job.

Quigley teased that he might have a future in city hall in 10-15 years as “all mayors have to come through the 5th Congressional District.” But he wasn’t joking when he said Emanuel was the right guy for the job now, citing two hourlong conversations the politicians had in September on tax increment financing when Emanuel was in the White House.

“It showed me he was deathly serious,” Quigley said of Emanuel’s approach to fixing Chicago’s budget issues. “You have to be a couple things to succeed here. You have to be a policy wonk, and he is. And you have to be tough as nails, and everybody knows he is. … He really gets that.”

Emanuel’s old White House friends also weighed in Tuesday night.

Former White House David Axelrod made an appearance at the victory party, emerging after the festivities were over and speaking to a gaggle of reporters.

On the campaign trail, Emanuel focused on job creation, education, city crime and the city’s budget. Emanuel proposed to cut spending by $75 million in 2011, including the implementation of a so-called “luxury tax” on things like private club memberships, pet grooming, limo services, tanning parlors, and charter jet use that opponents criticized as “vague.”

Rahm is very lucky he went to work for the president, he could get elected dog catcher on his own, but for his congressional seat in his affluent area. Rahm you got a job for life, mayor of Chicago is bigger than Governor of Illinois.